BOSTON — Banking on the power of search, Shift is changing its approach to PR by making SEO the centerpiece of campaigns.

The firm has set its new SEO-focused approach in motion by rolling out a new offering, called Optimized PR, which leverages consumers’ proclivity for doing their own research to get clients’ products and services in front of customers throughout their decision-making process.

Optimized PR builds on standard SEO tactics, like optimizing websites, by using data to increase the longevity of earned and owned content — pitching the kinds of stories and constructing the types of content most likely to show up in consumer searches.

“Search is so essential to how people discover products and information now, yet an estimated 90% of earned and owned content isn’t set up to be found after it’s been published,” said VP of search Matt Raven. “Our new Optimized PR offering puts SEO principles at the forefront of programs to solve for that, meaning every story we pitch and piece of content we produce is specifically designed to help clients get found, when and how prospects are looking.”

While Shift has handled SEO as part of larger campaigns, making search the core of PR campaigns represents a change from the agency’s more traditional tactics. Shift plans in time to adopt the SEO-focused approach to PR across the company's work.

“Programs without search insights aren’t tapping into critical audience behavior or interest signals, meaning campaign content and earned media, no matter how good it may be, is highly unlikely to be found by the people who matter most. We’re working to roll this concept and offering out to our clients and putting it front and center in our new business proposals,” Raven said.